


Fortress Of Lies

by kcstories



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, M/M, Manipulation, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-19
Updated: 2010-01-19
Packaged: 2017-10-06 11:44:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcstories/pseuds/kcstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Final Battle, they're forced to live a lie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fortress Of Lies

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** Written for hd_angst in October 2006.  
> **Disclaimer:** The Potterverse is JKR's, not mine. Written for fun, not profit.  
> **Warnings:** Second person narrative, AU-ish (and written before Book 7 came out), angst, manipulation, not a happy tale.

You moved into your new house last month. It's in a small Yorkshire village and they told you: "You'll be safe there."

You know they've been wrong before, so you're calculating and cautious, and you never mingle. You let the locals think you're antisocial and eccentric, because whatever keeps them away also keeps your secret; or at least, that's the general idea.

There's a swing in the garden, just like he asked, because being on a swing makes him feel like he's flying.

He doesn't know he actually flew before. He doesn't know anything anymore.

They told you it was the only way and reluctantly, you agreed, but sometimes you wonder...

Things spiralled out of control, accidents happened and innocents died, but in the end, he saved the world. Shouldn't that be all that mattered?

He walks into the room and he sits down next you.

"Had a good nap?" you ask.

You know those pills are the reason he sleeps so much these days. He thinks he's just tired and he never questions it.

They considered him a liability, a loose cannon, a danger to himself and others. They took away his memories and his magic. They gave him enough medication to bring down a horse. They told the world Harry Potter didn't survive the Final Battle.

You think it's sadly ironic how such a big, fat lie isn't really that far from the truth.

He tells you, yes, he did, but there was another nightmare, too, about a wide pool of blood in a grimy bathroom and there were horrible scars, just like the ones zigzagged across your chest.

He asks you if that means anything.

You assure him it means nothing at all, but you'll both discuss it with his therapist on Tuesday, if that makes him feel better.

He nods. He doesn't realise his doctor is a Ministry official he used to hate.

You smile, but your heart isn't in it, and you take him in your arms, because he looks like he's about to cry.

He doesn't know why he gets so sad, why this feeling of utter desolation often overwhelms him, or why he sometimes closes his eyes and sees flashes of green.

You know it all too well, but you're not allowed to tell him.

"I keep dreaming about a big room and flags with lions," he whispers. "There's so much stuff in my head. Do you think Doctor Fudge can make it go away? We never really went to a big castle by a lake, did we, Draco?"

"No," you say and your voice almost breaks, "but we can visit the one in York this summer, if you like, if you're better."

He smiles. "You're so good to me," he says.

And you feel sick to your stomach, because there's nothing good about any of this.

He used to be a wizard, and you still think he's a hero, even if he lost control that day.

"I love you," he says, and he snuggles closer.

You stroke his hair and you tell him you love him, too, and you think it's bittersweet that this is the one thing you can be honest about.

.  


End file.
